Objects in Italian Life and Culture

This book makes visible the hidden relations between things and individuals through a discussion of creative processes and cultural practices. Italian life and culture are filled with objects that cross, accompany, facilitate or disrupt experience, desires, and dreams. Yet in spite of their ubiquity, theoretical engagement in the Italian context is still underdeveloped. Paolo Bartoloni investigates four typologiesthe fictional, migrant, multicultural/transnational, and the artificialto hypothesize that the ability to treat things as partners of emotional and creative expression creates a sense of identity predicated on inclusivity, openness, care, and attention.

Bartolini demonstrates a keen grasp of his subject, not only when he is exploring the scholarly landscape but also when considering broader themes and modalities, thus offering a balanced and discriminating analysis of the cultural life and value of objects in an Italian context. His typologies engage the reader and provide valuable theoretical and cultural insights for a more profound understanding of the life of objects and things. (Diana Glenn, Italian American Review, Vol. 9 (1), 2019)

Auteur

Paolo Bartoloni is Established Professor of Italian at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is the author of Sapere di scrivere. Svevo e gli ordigni di La coscienza di Zeno (2015); On the Cultures of Exile, Translation and Writing (2008); and Interstitial Writing: Calvino, Caproni, Sereni and Svevo (2003).

Contenu

Introduction.- Meaningful Places.- Fictional Objects.- Migrant Objects.- Multicultural and Transcultural Objects.- Objects as Props.- Conclusion.- Bibliography.-